Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 15 · 2026-09-03
IELTS Writing Task 1 question
The chart below shows the results of a survey about people’s coffee and tea buying and drinking habits in five Australian cities.
Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The bar chart illustrates the percentage and habits of city residents who are buying and drinking coffee and tea in sydney, melbourne, brisbane, adelaide and hobart in australia, in past four weeks.
Overall, within the five australian cities, in last four week, the percentage of people who consumes coffee or a tea within the cafe is significantly higher than percentage of instant coffee, while the fresh coffee which has been purchased is less than instant coffee.
Firstly, in sydeny, melbourne and hobart the percentage of residents who drink coffee or tea on-site is slightly above the 60 percent, while purchasing instant coffee comes in between, moderately above 45 percent and slightly near to 55 percent. Moreover the percentage of picking up a fresh coffee has shown the downward trend, it comes with range of 45 percent and 35 percent.
Lastly, the brisbane and adelaide represents, approximately same percentage in fresh coffee category, which is slightly below the 35 percent. The rate of instant coffee and went to a cafe, is significantly above 50 percent in brisbane, while in adelaidae it touches the number 50.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.5 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5
The response covers the main features of the chart, identifying the three categories and comparing the five cities. However, the analysis is somewhat superficial. For example, the description of the data for Brisbane and Adelaide is slightly confusing, as the text states the rate of 'went to a cafe' is 'significantly above 50 percent' in Brisbane, which is a broad generalization. The response would benefit from more precise data points and a clearer distinction between the three categories across all cities. While the main trends are identified, the lack of specific, accurate data points prevents a higher band score.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, starting with an introduction, an overview, and two body paragraphs. Cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Moreover', and 'Lastly' are used to guide the reader. However, the flow is occasionally hindered by awkward phrasing and repetitive sentence structures. Referencing is sometimes unclear, particularly in the final paragraph where the connection between the cities and the specific data points becomes muddled. The paragraphing is appropriate, but the internal cohesion within paragraphs could be improved to ensure a smoother progression of ideas.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, but it lacks the precision and variety required for a higher band. There are several instances of awkward word choices, such as 'percentage and habits of city residents who are buying and drinking' and 'it comes with range of'. The student relies on basic descriptors and struggles with collocations related to data reporting. Spelling errors, such as 'sydeny' and 'adelaidae', also detract from the overall quality. To improve, the student should focus on using more sophisticated reporting verbs and nouns related to statistical trends.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The response contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede clarity. Issues include incorrect article usage ('the percentage of people who consumes'), subject-verb agreement errors, and inconsistent tense usage. Punctuation is also inconsistent, particularly with capitalization of proper nouns like city names. While the meaning is generally understandable, the frequency of these errors suggests a lack of control over complex structures, keeping the score in the mid-range.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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